Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith wrote his name in history as the joint-most decorated man of all-time at European Championships by claiming a dominant 400m gold on his childhood track in Birmingham. Storming down the home straight to rapturous cheers inside the stadium where he trained as a junior, and which now has a stand bearing his name, Hudson-Smith raced clear to complete a golden treble in the event following success in 2018 and 2022.

Crossing the line in 44.17 seconds, the 31-year-old secured his eighth podium at the championships to equal French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre's men's record medal tally. With this latest triumph, Hudson-Smith joined British greats Mo Farah and Roger Black on five golds, while matching Dina Asher-Smith as the most decorated British athlete in the history of the championships.

Born in Wolverhampton, Hudson-Smith entered the championships as the fastest European this year but misjudged his semi-final, forcing him to pursue gold from the outside lane. He went out hard and established enough of a gap to reassure home fans. The European record holder missed out on successive global titles by fractions of a second in 2023 and 2024, but on the European stage this emotional full-circle moment on his childhood track was golden.